Nowadays, blogging vs. vlogging has become a heated debate. In reality, though, neither one is necessarily better than the other. They are two entirely different mediums. But it’s still important to look at the blog vs. vlog difference just to get some insight.
Both vlogging and blogging present opportunities for people across the world to express opinions, record experiences, and inspire others.
However, the presence of video content on the web seems to be growing, and a lot of bloggers are wondering if they should start vlogging instead. Vlogging holds a lot of unique opportunities, but it is not for everyone.
Creators may not experience as much success on vlog platforms, like YouTube or Dailymotion, as they would on a personal blog. Or the style just may not suit them.
If you have ever asked yourself the question, “Should I blog or vlog?” keep reading to find the answer.
Blogging vs. Vlogging Statistics
Numbers can speak volumes about a medium’s true value.
Statistics about conversion, engagement, social sharing, and growth should weigh into your decision between vlogging and blogging. As you can see below, where some blog articles are lacking, vlogs make up the difference in other ways, and vice versa.
| Blogging | Vlogging |
|---|---|
| On average, only 20% of the words are read on a web page by users. | About 10% of viewers stop watching a video after 10 seconds, and 54% exit after a minute. |
| Websites with a blog tend to have 434% more indexed pages. | Video produces a 157% increase in organic traffic from search engines. |
| 45% of marketers consider blogging the most important piece of their content strategy. | 19% of marketers selected videos as the most important form of content for their business. |
| Websites without video content typically convert 2.9% of users. | Websites with video content reach an average conversion rate of 4.8%. |
| 46% of Internet users read blogs at least daily. | 42% of people have watched a vlog within the past month. |
The Pros and Cons of Blogging
Ironically, bloggers can often have a better time finding their voice than vloggers. Written words can be powerful and clear. Blogging is a huge tool for building a community. Often, users experience a deeper connection to bloggers than to vloggers since the medium of contact (text) is the same between commenters and writers while vloggers, in a way, alienate themselves with video.
Although video production is becoming more accessible, typing up a Word document and posting it on the web proves to be the simplest way to share ideas. Owning an independent blog is more common than an independent vlog, and doing so can be expensive. However, mediums like Tumblr and WordPress do allow bloggers the same free reign that YouTube and Dailymotion offer vloggers.
On the downside, blogging can be time-consuming. It may take hours to pen a blog post, but only 30 minutes to script and record a video. Additionally, bloggers rely a lot on their content. Although bloggers can use personality and humor to support articles, vloggers can base a whole video on sheer charisma.
Being text-based, blogs are sometimes labeled “old-fashioned” or “tedious.” Bloggers can have a harder time acquiring subscribers because they require readers, not just passive viewers. Additionally, bloggers tend to experience more spam than the average vlogger. Bloggers who give out their contact email to readers are swamped with messages every day. But when it comes to blogging vs. vlogging, blogs are certainly an effective medium for businesses and entrepreneurs to connect with and market to their audience.
The Pros and Cons of Vlogging
The video is considered to be innately more interactive than text. With videos, you are right there in front of your audience. They can see your body language, your personality, your smile, everything. Not only do audience members devour this kind of intimate content, but many web personalities love expressing themselves directly through video.
Just like not all blogs are the same, several different types of vlogs exist. Video as a medium is so versatile–and this is what makes blogging vs. vlogging rather unwarranted. A vlog can be anything from a video journal of your daily activities to a how-to series, to a scripted dialogue on your views about the world. On that note, videos are certainly becoming more popular as well. You don’t hear about an article or blog post going viral as often as you do a video going viral, do you?
However, vlogs come with their negative aspects, as well. Video cameras, microphones, and video editing software are often essential purchases. Additionally, a lot more people are comfortable behind the keyboard instead of in front of the big screen. Vloggers can receive a lot more criticism than bloggers, too.
Vloggers usually do not have as many assets as bloggers typically have. All an Internet user has to do to subscribe to a vlog is click a button, while many bloggers gain access to users’ email addresses—a valuable asset—before they can subscribe. Overall, vlogging tends to be more of a personal or brand-building endeavor.
The Future of Blogging
To many people’s relief, vlogging does not look like it will be replacing blogging. The written word will always be around on the Internet, but videos are indeed becoming more trendy. I’m sure you could tell throughout this whole article that blogging vs. vlogging is not really a justified question. They are both pretty similar, actually.
Overall, blogging can be more effective for businesses, while vlogging is a better tool for online personalities. Many creators are even jumping into the “hybrid” model—integrating both videos and articles on a website or simply having both a vlog channel and a blog. At the end of the day, it all depends on what works for you and your audience.
The future of blogging looks brighter than ever. More millennials are signing up for the flexible lifestyle that blogging offers, while vlogging is framing the social realm like no other medium.
The digital publishing landscape changes fast. So who knows what the future holds?
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